Side Business Hours and Income Log

Who this is for

What the side business earns for the hours it takes. Each session records what you did, the hours, the money in and the money out; the net is worked out per line, the columns total and the summary gives the net per hour for the period.

People running something alongside a job — selling, making, tutoring, freelancing, a market stall — who want to know whether it pays for the time it takes.

What this helps you track

• Hours put in, session by session and in total
• Income and expenses per session, with the net worked out
• Net for the period, and what that comes to per hour
• A record to hand to whoever does your tax return
• Whether the business is growing, once the sheets are read side by side

How to use it

1. Write the business, the period and where the money goes — a separate account is easier to reconcile — at the top.
2. Add a line each time you work on it: the date, what you did, and the hours as a decimal.
3. Enter any income received that session and any expenses paid — materials, fees, postage, stall rent.
4. The net fills in per line, the columns total and the net per hour is worked out in the summary on screen and in the workbook; on paper, total at the foot.
5. Keep receipts and sales records with the sheet.
6. Start a new sheet each month or quarter and compare the net per hour over time.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Do I have to declare this income?

That depends on whatever the tax authority where you are requires, which differs by country and by how much you earn. This sheet keeps the record; check the rules where you are or ask an accountant.

What counts as an expense?

For your own purposes, anything you spent to make the money. What is allowable against tax is set where you are, so keep everything and let the guidance or your accountant sort it.

Should I count unpaid hours — admin, marketing, travel?

Yes, if you want an honest net per hour. Sessions with hours and no income are what show the true cost of the business, and the summary takes them in.

How is net per hour worked out?

Total net divided by total hours for the sheet. When no hours have been entered it shows zero rather than an error.